Paragraph 11 reads: “A post-mortem examination also
found a mixture of other painkillers and anti-depressantsin therapeutic rather than fatal amounts, but they could have worked
to enhance the effect of the pills.”

Grieving nurse had spoken of suicide

A nurse who was found dead on her sofa had taken an overdose of her
daughter’s painkillers, an inquest heard.

Lindsay Davies, 50, was
discovered by her 22-year-old daughter at the family home in Southcote on August
26.

She had just finished a 10-day stint of night shifts at the Duchess
of Kent House in West Reading and the inquest heard it was thought she decided
to have a few drinks and fall asleep on the sofa.

Her husband Ian, known
as Terry, woke to the sound of her falling off the sofa at 2am and went
downstairs to pick her up and put her back on the settee at their home in
Worcester Close.

Giving evidence at the inquest on Tuesday, Mr Davies
said that he had left for work at around 6.30am and his wife was still snoring
soundly on the sofa. He said: “She had just finished night shifts and was
exhausted. It was not unusual for her to have a few drinks and relax when she
knew she didn’t have to go to work the next day.

“She had mentioned a few
things about taking her life but it was soon after her mother died and I just
thought it was normal to talk like that. I didn’t think she would actually do
anything, especially not where her family would find her.”

Mrs Davies,
who had a history of depression, had discussed taking her life with her daughter
but had said she would walk into the sea until she drowned and take her beloved
dog Charlie with her.

Her husband found a number of empty pill packets in
the house and some food bags of ham that had been laced with pills. But the dog,
who had been sleeping next to her, showed no signs of
poisoning.

Berkshire coroner Peter Bedford said that Mrs Davies had pills
in her stomach containing a painkiller that was prescribed to her daughter who
also suffered depression.

The pills were a potentially fatal
dose.

A post-mortem examination also found a mixture of other painkillers
and anti-depressants in therapeutic rather than fatal amounts, but they could
have worked to enhance the effect of the pills.

Recording an open
verdict, Mr Bedford said: “There is not enough evidence to allow me to reach a
clear conclusion.

“There is no suicide note, there is only one drug that
she overdosed in her body when you expect someone to try and take all the pills
you could get your hands on, and the fact she had said she would not do it at
home where her daughter would find her.

“The court heard that Mr White,
who has no previous convictions, had been prescribed the antidepressant
Seroxat [Paxil] at the time of the incident. This combined with
alcohol had lessened his inhibitions, ­magistrates were
told.”

Man apologises to musician for snatching instrument after gig and keeping
it for 10 years

Published: 18 February 2010
by JOSH
LOEB

FOR 10 years, music fan Stephen White secretly held all the
answers to a musical mystery that had mystified one of Britain’s most
revered guitarists.

Every time he looked at the shiny 1964 Cherry Red
Gibson SG guitar hidden in his flat, he gulped at the memory of how he had
stolen it from Johnny Marr, the musician who shot to fame with cult rock group
The Smiths.

On Tuesday, a decade after pinching the £30,000 instrument
backstage after a gig at the Scala nightclub in King’s Cross, Mr White, a
38-year-old carer, owned up to the theft in court.

He told Highbury
­Corner Magistrates’ Court that he was “disgusted” with himself.

Mr
White had been in the crowd packed inside the Scala to see Marr’s band Johnny
Marr and the Healers in 2000 on the night he walked off with the

guitar.

The court heard how he occasionally played it at home and at one
stage took it to the Tin Pan Alley guitar shops in Denmark Street, Bloomsbury,
to have it repaired after he ­accidentally stood on it.

Police
recovered the instrument after acting on a tip-off.

Mr White said: “I’m
disgusted with the whole thing. There’s a victim here. I can’t reconcile myself
with the ­behaviour of that night.”

The court heard that Mr White,
who has no previous convictions, had been prescribed the antidepressant Seroxat
at the time of the incident. This combined with alcohol had lessened his
inhibitions, ­magistrates were told.

After watching Marr perform, Mr
White went backstage to meet the musician and noticed a stage entrance was open.
On discovering the guitar unattended, he made what his counsel, Oliver Dean,
described as “a spur of the moment decision”. He picked up the guitar, walked
out with it via a fire escape and took it home in a taxi. It is believed theguitar was found at Mr White’s Enfield home with the ticket from the gig in 2000
attached to it.

Marr, a renowned ­guitar collector famous for his
songwriting ­partnership with singer Morrissey, was reported at the time as
being “very upset” by the ­disappearance of the instrument and offered a
reward for information leading to its safe return.

Mr Dean said his
client felt extremely guilty about taking the guitar and had expressed a wish to
write and ­apologise to Mr Marr.

Police Constable Christopher Swain
said Mr Marr, who is ­currently on tour in New Zealand, was “ecstatic” about
the instrument’s return, adding: “He bears no malice towards the
defendant.”

PC Swain said: “The guitar did have a high sentimental
value to him. Initially he though he had been targeted by a professional thief
but when the details came to light he said he didn’t want the matter to go
further.”

Prosecutor Dorothy Thomas said that although the guitar would
normally have been worth around £6,000, it had been ­estimated as having a
value of £30,000 because of its association with Marr, who now plays with The
Cribs.

Mr White was sentenced to 200 hours of community
­service. A spokes­man for Mr Marr said last night (Wed­nesday): “He
is obviously very happy to have his guitar

Man’s death forced change in police policy

POLICE changed their policy for assessing the risks prisoners pose to
themselves after a Swindon man killed himself less than two hours after leaving
their custody, an inquest heard.

Michael Spencer of Grantham Close,
Freshbrook, told officers at Gablecross Police Station he was suicidal after he
assaulted wife Wendy at their West
Swindon home, Oxfordshire Coroner’s Court heard.

This suicidal fact
was logged onto his custody record which was placed in a red folder to signify
he was a vulnerable person, Oxfordshire Coroner Nicholas Gardiner said.

Depressed Spencer, 39, who had overdosed on painkillers and also
self-harmed in the weeks leading to his death, was placed in a cell monitored by
CCTV.

The dad-of-two was charged with common assault and released on
police bail at 2pm on July 16, in 2006.

No health care professional was
called to assess his state of mind as custody sergeants and detention officers
said he was “quiet” and “compliant” and didn’t cause them any welfare concerns.

But by 3.45pm he was run over and killed on the A420 near Shrivenham,
said Mr Gardiner.

Now a pre-release risk assessment sets out more
rigidly the questions custody staff need to ask if a prisoner is considered a
threat to himself, said Duty Inspector Antony Ducker of Swindon Police.

This comes after Mr Ducker reviewed the process by which prisoners are
released from police custody.

Giving evidence yesterday, he said: “There
has been an overwhelming increase in the number of referrals to the healthcare
profession in the amount of people who make indications of self-harm andsuicide.

“So much so this was causing financial strain.

“The
questions on the pre-release risk assessment are set. It asks the detainees how
they are feeling.

“It forces one’s hand to ask – Nothing is overlooked.”

This was done in paper form before being transferred to the computer
system, added Mr Ducker.

Custody Sergeant Julian Law described Spencer
as “unremarkable” who gave him “no concerns” while he was in custody.

Mr
Law admitted he didn’t know it was an obligation of his role to read prisoners’
custody records as this had not been made clear during his training.

When asked if he should have read it by solicitor Sean Horstead,
representing Mrs Spencer, Mr Law replied: “In hindsight yes.”

He also
said it didn’t think Spencer was confused by the bail conditions set out to him
as this was Spencer’s first time in custody.

These were that he couldn’t
see his wife Wendy, he couldn’t pass any messages on to her through friends and
family and he could make one visit home but this had to be with a police
officer.

These conditions had to be adhered to before Spencer attended
court.

Mr Law told Spencer his brother-in-law Michael Titcombe had rung
for him and passed on his phone number.

But he said Spencer didn’t ask
to call Mr Titcombe, who rang the station earlier that day to warn police
Spencer was “unstable”.

Mr Law said Spencer hadn’t been confused in
thinking the bail conditions meant he wasn’t allowed to talk to any family
members.

Had he asked to use the phone then Mr Law said he would have
allowed it and Spencer could have arranged to be collected by Mr Titcombe from
Gablecross.

Spencer’s antidepressant medication were not recorded on his
custody records, it also emerged. Detention officer Stewart Wakeman said was an
“oversight.”

Paragraphs 1 & 2 read: A mother has been convicted after
“deliberately wielding a handbag” and striking a police
officer.

Diminutive Lorna Vinten, 44, charged in to help her son who was
being restrained by four police officers, swinging her small blue handbag
containing her keys, cigarettes and mobile phone.

Paragraph 12 reads: “Fining her a total of £1,040, and
giving her a two-year conditional discharge, Judge Jackson said she had taken
into account the fact that Mrs Vinten’s husband had passed away last year, that
she suffered panic attacks and was on
anti-depressants.”

Mother assaulted officer

A mother has been
convicted after “deliberately wielding a handbag” and striking a police
officer.

Diminutive Lorna Vinten, 44, charged in to help her son who was
being restrained by four police officers, swinging her small blue handbag
containing her keys, cigarettes and mobile phone.

But despite Redhill
Magistrates’ Court hearing the handbag had struck with the force of a pillow,
Mrs Vinten was convicted of two counts of assault, and resisting a constable in
the execution of his duty.

Speaking after the hearing, Mrs Vinten said:
“I’m just glad it’s all over. It’s been a very stressful time for me. I’m just
worried about losing my job now.”

The incident occurred at the Royal
British Legion in Town End, Caterham, on the evening of May 24, after the High
Street Party enjoyed by thousands of visitors.

Police entered the Legion
building asking revellers to drink up, and ended up restraining 17-year-old
Ricky Vinten near the exit.

Defence counsel Natasha Draycott told the
court how Mrs Vinten had rushed to aid her son, but was grabbed by the throat,
and thrown onto a table by “enthusiastic” officers.

Ms Draycott said:
“Officers were using completely unreasonable force, she was kicking out in sheer
panic.”

Mrs Vinten had claimed herhandbag had fallen down her arm and
had been flying around, but she had not intended to hit anyone.

But
presiding over the hearing, District Judge Caroline Jackson said: “Looking at
the CCTV it’s clear excessive force was not used (by the police).

“I find
there are deliberate acts of wielding the handbag.”

Fining her a total of
£1,040, and giving her a two-year conditional discharge, Judge Jackson said she
had taken into account the fact that Mrs Vinten’s husband had passed away last
year, that she suffered panic attacks and was on anti-depressants.

Mrs
Vinten’s son Ricky was also convicted of assault, resisting an officer in the
execution of his duty and using threatening, insulting or abusive words or
behaviour or disorderly behaviour with intent to cause alarm or distress. His
sentencing was adjourned.

When someone has been sickly physically for a period of
time or earlier in life it has been my experience that they do not do well
on antidepressants. They need to rebuild their health, not take a stimulant drug
to force their bodies to perform! Why do we push others as we do? Give them the
time they need to heal!

__________________________________

An inquest on Tuesday heard that Natalie, an animal lover, who
studied at Plumpton College, had suffered ill health as a child, which limited
her sight and held her back at school.

Paragraph seven reads: “Dr Hunt told the inquest, “She
told me she had been depressed for several years and had beentaking anti-depressants for two
years.”

Paragraphs 9 & 10 read: “Swansea Crown Court heard
Mr. Thomas regularly took anti-depressant drugs which made him
impotent, and he had stopped doing so before the holiday as the
couple, who slept in separate bedrooms at home, wanted to be “intimate”.

Medical experts said the sudden withdrawal of
the drugs could have led to him having very vivid dreams.

A Briton who strangled his wife during a
nightmare because he believed he was attacking an intruder, walked free from
court on Friday after prosecutors withdrew their case against him.

Brian
Thomas, 59, of Neath in South Wales, killed his wife Christine, 57, while they
were on holiday in July last year.

Prosecutors had accepted that Thomas
had a sleep disorder and so had no control over his body when he attacked his

wifeof 40 years while they were both asleep.

“I must emphasize that the
circumstances of this case are almost unique in the UK and there have been fewer
than 50 instances recorded worldwide,” said Iwan Jenkins, Chief Crown Prosecutor
for Dyfed Powys.

Mr. Thomas admitted being responsible but instead of

charging him with murder or manslaughter, prosecutors had sought a special
verdict ofnotguilty by reason of insanity, the Press Association reported.

“The consequences of such a finding would have meant Mr. Thomas’s
detention in a psychiatric hospital, but it is now clear that the psychiatrists
feel that that would serve no useful purpose,” Mr. Jenkins said.

Swansea
Crown Court heard Mr. Thomas regularly took anti-depressant drugs which made him
impotent, and he had stopped doing so before the holiday as the couple, who
slept in separate bedrooms at home, wanted to be “intimate”.

Medical
experts said the sudden withdrawal of the drugs could have led to him having
very vivid dreams.

The court was told the couple had been asleep in
their camper van in a pub car park when they were disturbed by youths in cars
performing wheel spins and so moved elsewhere.

However, Mr. Thomas then
had a dream one of the youths had broken into the van and later woke to find
himself next to his wife‘s body, at which point he called the police.

High Court Judge Justice Davis told Mr. Thomas, who had been in custody
since January, that in the eyes of the law he bore no responsibility for what he
had done and said he was a “decent man and devoted husband”.

Mr.
Thomas’s brother Raymond Thomas said the death and court case had been very
distressing.

“They were a loving couple and always like that together,”
he said. “He has always been a loving husband and a family man. This was a
tragic, tragic episode and we are all very emotional.”

Paragraph 22 reads: “The inquest heard the teacher had
attempted suicide in 2000 and complained of work-related stress in November
2006, before seeing her GP for depression in early 2007. She then began taking anti-depressants.”

Young teacher, 26, hanged herself after being accused of helping pupils
cheat in GCSEs

A teacher suspended over claims she helped pupils cheat in their GCSE exams hangedherself – only to be exonerated after her death.

Vanessa Rann was
distraught after being accused of giving children unfair help during their
French oral examination.

She was sent home on full pay while an
investigation into the allegations was carried out, with pupils facing the
prospect of having their final grades changed.

Investigation: Miss Rann
worked at Grange School and Sports College, Warmley

But days later, the
French-born trainee teacher‘s body was found by her fiance at the home they
shared. She was 26.

Yesterday an inquest into her death revealed the
investigation went on to clear her of any wrongdoing.

Only in her firstyear of teaching, Miss Rann was apparently already a much-loved member of staff
at Grange School and Sports College in Warmley, Bristol.

But she was
struggling with the stress of her job and believed her head of department,
Francesca Alcock, was trying to ‘force her out’, the hearing was told.

In May 2007, she was accused of giving unfair help to students taking
their GCSE French oral and suspended.

In a statement read to Flax
Bourton Coroner’s Court, headteacher Steve Cook said she was also being
investigated for inviting Year 11 pupils to an end-of-term party at her house as
well as accusing Miss Alcock of ‘trying to get her sacked’.

She met her
union representative, Paul Hutchins, who told the hearing she was ‘distressed’
by the allegations but had told him she ‘hadn’t done anything wrong’.

He
added: ‘We talked about whether she wanted to continue teaching and she said she
loved it, had a good relationship with the children and had made friends at the
school.

‘She said she found her position at the school challenging. She
wanted to continue, but possibly at a different school.’

Mr Hutchins
said Miss Rann was also under pressure because she had failed a teaching
assessment.

But he said: ‘At the time she gave me no cause for concern.
She had a tremendous support network by her.’

Her fiance, Darren Proud,
found her body in their garage in Fishponds, Bristol, on the morning of June 3,
2007.

Exam board Edexcel later ruled pupils had not unfairly benefited
during the exams and there was no need to adjust the final marks.

Mr
Proud told the hearing his fiancee had suffered depression before, but that
‘things went wrong’ following her suspension.

He added she had mentioned
hanging herself in the past, prompting him to urge her to seek medical
help.

‘I thought it was just a silly comment and told her she shouldn’t
be thinking about stuff like that,’ he said.

‘I didn’t expect her to do
something like this because she was pretty strong, even though she would be down
sometimes. All day she had been happy, so it came as a shock.’

The
inquest heard the teacher had attempted suicide in 2000 and complained of
work-related stress in November 2006, before seeing her GP for depression in
early 2007. She then began taking anti-depressants.

Recording a verdict
of suicide, Avon coroner Terence Moore said: ‘She was going through extremely
stressful circumstances and in her view her career wasn’t steady.

‘She
did all the right things – she went to see her union rep and went to see her
doctor. Putting all the things together, I’m sure beyond reasonable doubt she
took her own life.’

Second paragraph from the end reads: “He wastaking anti-depressantswhen he met his ex by accident in a
pub and began drinking heavily.”

SSRI Stories Note: The Physicians
Desk Reference states that antidepressantscan
cause a craving for alcohol and alcohol abuse.
Also, the liver cannot metabolize the antidepressant and the alcohol
simultaneously, thus leading to higher levels of both alcohol and the
antidepressant in the human body.

Heartbroken man stabbed best friend

A HEARTBROKEN man stabbed his best friend in the stomach after
breaking up with his girlfriend.

John Withers had been homeless since
the split but was given shelter by Trevor Phillips, a former work colleague.

But Withers got drunk after an unexpected meeting with his ex-partner
and returned to Mr Phillips’ house in the village of Wickhamford, near Evesham,
in “a zombie state”, said Alex Warren, prosecuting.

He stuck the kitchen

knife four inches into Mr Phillips’ stomach in an unprovoked attack.

When police arrived, Withers was drinking a can of beer and the victim
still had the blade protruding from his body, Worcester Crown Court heard.

Withers, aged 44, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to unlawful
wounding and was jailed for 27 months.

Judge Richard Rundell said an
inch or two either way and Withers could have been facing a murder charge.

He accepted a defence submission that the attack was “inexplicable” and
said Withers might have mental health issues.

Mr Phillips, who livedwith his wife and step daughter, had known the defendant for 15 years and took
pity on him when he became homeless at the end of his romance, said Mr Warren.

But on June 26 Withers was spoken to by Mr Phillips about being drunk
and an argument blew up.

Later that evening Withers returned to the
address. The victim was making coffee when he felt the knife blow.

The
blade did not enter the abdominal cavity and he recovered after an operation.

Francis Laird, defending, said Withers had gone through a stressful
break-up and was “totally heartbroken”.

He was taking anti-depressants
when he met his ex by accident in a pub and began drinking heavily.

Mr
Laird said: “He became overwhelmed and did something quite inexplicable. He is
deeply sorry for what he did. It may have been out of his control.”

School sixth form after doing the first year of her A-level course after her
“mental health deteriorated”.

At the time of her death, she was an art
student at Bolton Community College, with aspirations to go to university to
become a primary school art teacher.

But the inquest heard she would
react to problems in an “impulsive and spontaneous” way and had on previous
occasions called an ambulance after taking an overdose.

On July 20, Miss
Turner was living in Rutland Drive, Bolton, after splitting from her boyfriend,
Ashley Smith, aged 20.

On that day they had a row and, he told the
inquest, he left to go for a walk.

When he arrived back at Rutland Drive
he found empty tablet packets on the floor. He said that when Miss Turner came
downstairs she was acting “really weird, slurring her words and stopping and
starting sentences”.

She tried to call for an ambulance, but Mr Smith
stepped in and called the emergency services himself. Miss Turner died later in
hospital.

Assistant deputy coroner Peter Watson, recording an open
verdict, was “not satisfied” she intended to take her life when she took the
overdose.

He added that despite support from her family, Miss Turner
“acted impulsively and spontaneously to problems that confronted her” when
suffering from “dark moods”.

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